(ZDNet) British supercar marker McLaren Automotive is using virtual reality headsets to design the interiors of its cars, as well as in its dealerships for customers and marketing, but the one thing Roberts would like is the ability for the entire team to be in the same virtual world for a design review. The company still uses clay to see how a design looks physically in the real world — a full-sized 3-tonne mass of steel, clay, and paint that is convincing enough to pass as a road vehicle, and allows the design team to improve and take in how the car’s exterior will look.
Design operations manager Mark Roberts explained recently that the physical model is realistic enough to give the designers the confidence to treat it as a real car and thus make improvements, and as the company moves towards VR, a similar feeling needs to be reached.